2007 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG child seat

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The
distance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You
should be able to accomplish this by a
combination of adjustments to the seat
and steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and appropriate
size infant or child restraint system.

Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmartTM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front air bag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the air bag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a
child 12 years old or under in the front pas-
senger seat of your vehicle, you must prop-
erly use a BabySmart
TM child restraint which
will turn off the passenger front air bag.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and use an appro-
priately sized infant or child restraint
system for all children 12 years old or
under.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.

74 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Window curtain air bags
1Window curtain air bag
The window curtain air bags are deployed:

on the impacted side of the vehicle

in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold

independently of the front air bags
The window curtain air bags are not
deployed in impacts which do not exceed
the system’s deployment threshold.
Seat belts
The use of seat belts and infant and child
restraint systems is required by law in all
50 states, the District of Columbia, the
U.S. territories and all Canadian provinces.
Even where this is not the case, all vehicle
occupants should have their seat belts fas-
tened whenever the vehicle is in motion.
For more information, see “Fastening the
seat belts” (
page 48).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 78).
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passengers are
properly restrained, even those sitting in the
rear.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are properly wearing
your seat belt. Air bags can only protect as
they are designed if the occupants are prop-
erly wearing their seat belts.

76 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in case of an accident.

Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
passenger front air bag, window curtain
air bags for side windows), and ETD
(seat belt emergency tensioning
device). The system is designed to en-
hance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front
air bags and ETD) and side (window
curtain air bags and ETD) impacts which
exceed preset deployment thresholds.

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would
increase the chance of head and neck
injuries. The shoulder belt would also
apply too much force to the ribs or abdo-
men, which could severely injure inter-
nal organs such as your liver or spleen.

Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the lap belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious
injuries in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to manage impact
forces. The twisted seat belt against
your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraints, toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

78 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency
tensioning devices and seat belt force
limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the
following cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts
exceeding the system deployment
threshold

if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
1indicator lamp (
page 68)When activated, emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the seat belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Seat belt force
limiters reduce the force exerted by the
seat belts on occupants during a crash.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.
Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
iThe ETDs for the front seats will only acti-
vate if the respective front seat belt is fastened
(latch plate properly inserted into buckle).
The ETDs for the rear outer seats will activate
with or without the respective seat belt fastened.
Warning!G
An Emergency Tensioning Device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When disposing of emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be
followed. These are available at any autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
!Do not place objects heavier than 20 lbs
(9 kg) on the front passenger seat. This could
cause the passenger front air bag and, with the
seat belt fastened to secure the object, the ETD
on the front passenger side to deploy in a crash
which exceeds the system’s deployment thresh-
old.

79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
Only use a BabySmart
TM compatible child
restraint for the front passenger seat in
this vehicle.
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt and the rear center seat belt have
special seat belt retractors for secure fas-
tening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.Warning!G
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child
restraint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle

be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger or cargo compartment unless
they are firmly secured in place. For more
information, see “Loading” (
page 206)
and “Useful features” (
page 215).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident

80 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual
manner.
The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all
Canadian provinces.Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured in
accordance with the manufacturer's
instructions for the child restraint, that
complies with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.
A statement by the child restraint
manufacturer of compliance with these
standards can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruction
manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint
system, make sure to carefully read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions for
installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to inside of vehicle and to infant or
child restraints.
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
iFor information on child seats with mounting
fittings for tether anchorages, see “Installation
of infant and child restraint systems”
(
page 84).
For information on LATCH-type child seat
anchors, see (
page 83).
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the
vehicle to deactivate the passenger front air
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the air bag when it
inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury can result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front
seating positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle’s
seat belt and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.

81 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
BabySmartTM air bag deactivation
system
The 56 indicator lamp is located on
the upper part of the center console.
1Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lampInfants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Children too big for child restraint systems
must ride in back seats using regular seat
belts. Position shoulder belt across chest
and shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children
from 41 lbs until they reach a height where
a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Special BabySmartTM compatible child
seats, designed for use with the
Mercedes-Benz system and available at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center are required for use with the
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation system.
With the special child seat properly
installed, the passenger front air bag will
not deploy.
The 56indicator lamp will be
illuminated, except with the SmartKey
removed or in starter switch position0.Self-test BabySmart
TM without special
child seat installed
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2,
the56indicator lamp comes on
for approximately 6 seconds and then
goes out.
If the56indicator lamp should not
come on or is continuously lit, the system
is not functioning. You must see an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center before seating any child on the
front passenger seat.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 337).
iThe system does not deactivate the
emergency tensioning device.
Warning!G
The BabySmartTM air bag deactivation sys-
tem will ONLY work with a special child seat
designed to operate with it. It will not work
with child seats which are not BabySmart
TM
compatible.
Never place anything between seat cushion
and child seat (e.g. pillow), since it reduces
the effectiveness of the deactivation sys-
tem. The bottom of the child seat must
make full contact with the passenger seat
cushion. An incorrectly mounted child seat
could cause injuries to the child in case of an
accident, instead of protecting the child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of special child seats.